Clip member

ABSTRACT

A one piece resilient clip member for supporting a drawer divider including converging side walls for frictionally engaging the divider and a plurality of abutments having ridges and being adapted for cooperative insertion within pre-formed transversely extending grooves in a drawer.

iJnited States Patet Ginsberg 51 Aug. 1, 1972 [54] CLIP MEMBER [72] Inventor: Benjamin Ginsberg, Winthrop,

Mass.

[73] Assignee: I. Ginsberg & Sons, Inc., East Boston, Mass.

[22] Filed: Nov. 23, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 91,691

[52] [1.8. CI. ..24/73 PC, 24/73 PF, 108/61, 312/330 [51] Int. Cl. ..A44b 21/00 [58] Field of Search ..24/73 PC, 73 PF; 312/1403, 312/1404, 330; 52/585; 85/19, DIG. 2;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,758,348 8/1956 Simpson ..24/73 PC 3,140,791 7/1964 Reiss et al ..312/l40.3 2,820,209 1/1958 Whitted ..85/19 1,767,806 6/1930 Morris ..312/140.3 3,292,225 12/1966 Burniski ..24/206 R FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 603,209 6/ 1948 Great Britain ..24/73 PC 703,175 1/1954 Great Britain ..312/140.3

Primary Examiner-Bobby R. Gay Assistant Examiner-Darrell Marquette Attorney-James B. Tiffany [5 7] ABSTRACT A one piece resilient clip member for supporting a drawer divider including converging side walls for frictionally engaging the divider and a plurality of abutments having ridges and being adapted for cooperative insertion within pre-formed transversely extending grooves in a drawer.

2 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAUGMI I972 FIG.6 I

v FIG.5

lNVENTOR GINSBERL 2AM awa- BENJAMIN ATTORNEY CLIP MEMBER This invention relates generally to support members and in particular to a clip which may be variably positioned for mounting in a drawer or the like to maintain a divider in a preselected position.

Various mounting devices have been utilized in the past to position drawer dividers, the majority of which permanently position the divider by means of clip members which are permanently affixed to opposed walls of a drawer or the like by means of nails or studs positioned in apertures. The permanency as a result of this method of attaching the clip members limits the user in varying the divided area in accordance with his requirements. The installation of metal or plastic stripping to allow variances in the positioning of moveable clip members has resulted in damage to fragile merchandise stored in the compartmental areas. Attempts have been made in the industry to provide single slotting of the end walls and to utilize resilient metal clip members slideable therein, however the relative hardness of the metal in conjunction with the wooden end walls has resulted in a torquing of clip members during the insertion of the divider causing damage to the end wall portions.

Therefore it is an object of this invention to provide a resilient clip member adapted for use with side walls to retain a divider member in position.

It is another object of this invention to provide a resilient clip member which may be interchangeably positioned on the side walls of a compartment to vary the compartmental areas.

It is still a further object of this invention to provide a resilient clip member adapted for use with multiple slotted support members and slideable therein.

Other objects of this invention will in part, be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

Broadly stated, one feature of this invention is to provide a resilient clip member which is capable of main- IN THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a view in perspective, partly broken away, illustrating a clip member on one end wall with a divider positioned therein.

FIG. 2 is a view in perspective of a clip member.

FIG. 3 is a view in perspective of the clip member, illustrating the retaining features.

FIG. 4 is a side view, partly in section, illustrating the clip member in position on a support.

FIG. 5 is a view in rear elevation of the clip member.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the clip member.

Reference is now to be had to the drawings, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the clip member, a construction made in accordance with the present invention and designated by the reference numeral 10 is shown. Referring to Fig. 1, there is shown the clip member 10 formed of a resilient material such as plastic, hard rubber or the like, positioned within a pair of transversely extending grooves 12 and 14 recessed into the rear wall l6-of a drawer 18. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the opposing front wall (not shown) has similar grooves to maintain another clip member to act as a retainer in conjunction with clip member 10 for the divider 20.

The clip member, as shown in detail in FIGS. 2 to 6, comprises a base 22 having a rear surface 24 adapted for abutting relation with the interior surface 26 of the wall 16. The front surface 28 of the base 22 has a pair of side walls 30 and 32, integral therewith, and extending from the edges thereof and inclined angularly toward each other and with their free ends 34 and 36 laterally spaced from each other. The area between the side walls defining a receptacle to receive one end 37 of the divider 20 and due to the resilient characteristics of the clip member 10 to retain the divider in frictional engagement there between.

On the rear surface 24 of the clip member 10, there are formed integrally therewith a pair of transversely extending abutments 38 and 40 which are substantially the same width as the rear surface 24. The abutments 38 and 40 are axially spaced from each other and adapted for cooperative engagement with the grooves 12 and 14. On the upper 42 and lower surfaces 44 of the abutments 38 and 40 are longitudinally extending ridges 46, transversely spaced from each other for a purpose to be set forth more fully hereinafter. A flat area 48 remains between the edges 50 of the abutments 38 and the leading edge 52 of the ridges to provide a lead. In the operation and installation of the divider 20 in the drawer having the grooves 12 and 14 formed therein, the clip members 10 are inserted in the grooves by having the abutments 38 and 40 positioned in the grooves with the lead area 48 aligning the clip member normal to the wall 16. Lateral pressure on the clip member 10 allows the ridges 46 to forcibly wedge themselves into the upper and lower surfaces of each of the grooves 12 and 14. Similarly, on the diametrically opposed wall, another clip member is positioned in the same manner. By inserting the divider 20 with the end 37 frictionally engaged between the resilient converging side walls 30 and 32, the pre-determined length of the divider 20 will retain the clip members 10 in position within the grooves 12 and 14. The effect of the parallel grooves 12 and 14 in cooperative engagement with the abutments 38 and 40 will result in the torquing characteristics of the divider 20 where subjected to transverse movement being considerably reduced.

Where it is desired to relocate the divider 20, the divider is removed, the clip members 10 snapped out of engagement with the grooves 12 and 14 and the clip member re-installed at the new location.

While there have been described herein what are at present considered to be preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art, that modifications and changes may be made without departing from the essence of the invention. It is therefore to be understood that the exemplary embodiments are illustrative and not restrictive of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and that all modifications that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be included herein.

I claim:

1. A resilient clip member of unitary construction for maintaining drawer dividers in position comprising a base member having integral converging side walls extending from one surface thereof, the distal ends of said side walls laterally spaced from each other to frictionally engage a drawer divider inserted therebetween, a plurality of transversely extending abutments axially spaced from each other and integrally formed on the opposite surface. of saidv base member, said abutments adapted for slidable cooperative insertion within corresponding grooves in opposed walls of .a drawer, said abutments having a plurality of ridges on the upper and lower surfaces thereof, transversely spaced from each other and extending from the base member to a point adjacent to the free ends of said abutments.

2. A resilient clip member of one piece construction for maintaining a drawer divider in spaced parallel relationship to the side walls of a drawer, said clip member including:

a. a base member having a greater height than width,

b. a pair of converging side walls integral with said base member and extending from one surface thereof, adapted to frictionally engage an edge of a drawer divider therebetween,

c. a plurality of transversely extending abutments on the other surface of said base member,

d. said abutments axially spaced from each other and having a plurality of ridges on the upper and lower surfaces thereof,

e. said ridges extending from the base member to a point adjacent to the free ends of the abutments, whereby said abutments are adapted for insertion within a plurality of horizontal slots on opposed walls of a drawer and slidable therein. 

1. A resilient clip member of unitary construction for maintaining drawer dividers in position comprising a base member having integral converging side walls extending from one surface thereof, the distal ends of said side walls laterally spaced from each other to frictionally engage a drawer divider inserted therEbetween, a plurality of transversely extending abutments axially spaced from each other and integrally formed on the opposite surface of said base member, said abutments adapted for slidable cooperative insertion within corresponding grooves in opposed walls of a drawer, said abutments having a plurality of ridges on the upper and lower surfaces thereof, transversely spaced from each other and extending from the base member to a point adjacent to the free ends of said abutments.
 2. A resilient clip member of one piece construction for maintaining a drawer divider in spaced parallel relationship to the side walls of a drawer, said clip member including: a. a base member having a greater height than width, b. a pair of converging side walls integral with said base member and extending from one surface thereof, adapted to frictionally engage an edge of a drawer divider therebetween, c. a plurality of transversely extending abutments on the other surface of said base member, d. said abutments axially spaced from each other and having a plurality of ridges on the upper and lower surfaces thereof, e. said ridges extending from the base member to a point adjacent to the free ends of the abutments, whereby said abutments are adapted for insertion within a plurality of horizontal slots on opposed walls of a drawer and slidable therein. 